INTRODUCTION TO THE KINGDOM

Many people do not have a clear understanding of what the kingdom of God is. It's often likened to the
church, but the church is not the kingdom. The church is made up of the people of the kingdom.

We are urged to work to build the kingdom of God, or to please give money so we can build the
Kingdom.

It's not we who build the kingdom of God.

We get confused because we often think of kingdom as a territorial rule, such as a country that has a
king (Great Britain).

In scripture, the word used for the kingdom of God is basilia - the rule, the reign, or the Sovereignty of
God.

We do not find a clear definition of the Kingdom of God in scripture. Instead, we must study all the
scriptural references to the kingdom to get a better understanding.

In essence, the Kingdom is the sovereignty of God in action. We are going to see that the Kingdom is
manifested in several realms.

1. John the Baptist came preaching, "Repent! The Kingdom of God is near."

Matthew 3:2-3

• He was referring to the coming of Jesus, the Messiah

2. The kingdom of God is a present reality.

Matthew 12:28 "If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God then the kingdom of God has come upon
you."

• The kingdom has already come.

Luke 17:20-21: The kingdom doesn't come visibly ... the kingdom of God is within you.

 Jesus discouraged the Pharisees from looking for a kingdom that would come with outward
display. And he began to speak to them in parables so that only those who were given
understanding could receive. Those whose hearts were not prepared to receive the mystery of
the kingdom, would have no understanding.
  He spoke to them in parables. He still doesn't say lithe kingdom is ... ," He says it's like. It takes
revelation from the Holy Spirit for us to understand them.
 The parables are spoken, but they can only be understood by revelation. It's the same as
when
He spoke them.

~The kingdom of God is a future realm that we will enter when Christ returns.

, ! 2 Peter l:11"And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus
Christ."

A day is coming when God's rule and reign is going to be over ALL! ALL of His enemies are going
to be
put under His feet.

 The Gospels speak of entering the Kingdom here and now, but they also speak of entering
it in
the future.

 What we are partaking of now is just a foretaste or small part of what we will partake of
in the
future. It's an earnest of our inheritance, that's like a down payment or deposit. It's not
something just given as a token; it's actually part of the whole.

 We are given an earnest, but we begin to partake of future blessings now. The age to
come has
already invaded this present evil age.

 This is where some people have a problem with the Kingdom in a present sense. How
can the
Kingdom of God be established now when we see complete evil all around us? With all
the
wickedness, how is that possible?

 If you haven't really studied about the Kingdom, you might say that it's not possible -
that we
don't have a King right now. He's not ruling and reigning in the world today. If the King
was
ruling and reigning, we wouldn't have that kind of evil. We wouldn't have sin or
sickness.
  That's true if the King ruled over ~ now. So, people look forward to a future time believing
that
the Kingdom does not exist for today.

 These seem contradictory, but we'll understand they are not when we see two ages
coming
together with the cross in the middle.

1 Cor. 15:50 "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
nor
does the perishable inherit the imperishable."

 Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God. It's the spirit of man that is the candle of
the
Lord and inherits eternal life.

• It's the spirit man that receives the nature of Christ. The spirit of man communes with God.

. It will have to do with the governments of the nations of the world.

Rev. 11:15 " ... the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He
ill reign forever and ever."

5. It is also an inner spiritual redemptive blessing.

Colossians 1:13-14 "For He has rescued us out of the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the
kingdom of His dear Son in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins."

 According to Colossians 1:13-14, we have already been brought into the kingdom of His dear
Son.

 We are already in that kingdom, so that means it has to exist. That does away with the opinion
that the kingdom hasn't come yet. You can't be brought into a kingdom that doesn't exist yet.
  When we are baptized into the Body of Christ at salvation, we are placed into the Body by the
Holy Spirit. At the same time, the life of Christ is infused into us. That's what we mean by a
present redemptive spiritual blessing.

 At the same time, we enter into a realm even as we are placed into the Body of Christ. It's a
mystery. Two become one - both totally immersed into the other.

6. The kingdom is a realm into which we can enter now.

Matthew 21:31b "Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are
entering the kingdom of God ahead of you."

• Does that mean they are actually entering as tax collectors and prostitutes? No!

 He's saying to the religious people of the day, "You think you have the kingdom of God. You
think you know what the rule and reign of God is, but I have come to establish a new covenant
and those who were prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the kingdom ahead of you
because they recognize their need."
 They recognize they have nothing so they are reaching out and receiving. They are entering
before you.
 You are self-sufficient. You don't recognize you have need of me. You are satisfied with what
you have surrounding you - meat and drink.

For this present study, we want to primarily focus on the Kingdom as a present reality.

John 3:3 "I tell you the truth unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
 Unless we are born from above we are not able to see or perceive it. We cannot
comprehend it.
 It's not that He won't allow it, we simply are blind.

John 3:5: Unless we are born of water and of the Spirit, we cannot enter.

 We enter the kingdom through the blood of Jesus and from being born above. In this
sense, the
redeemed are already in the kingdom.
 It takes a hungry heart and a willingness to enter. It requires a decision.
<

1. Many people do not want to hear the message of the Kingdom not because they think it's error but
because they recognize there's a price to pay to be paid. If you're not willing to pay the price and fully
enter in, then you don't want to hear it. You want to stay right where you are - where you feel
\ comfortable.

 I think it is often easier for those who know they have nothing to pay the price to
get
SOMETHING.

• Those who are satisfied and comfortable don't want to make life difficult for themselves.

 They are not really living so their lives will produce only death and destructive. They
remain
blind.

2. For most of us when we made that genuine heartfelt commitment, it involved a lot of cutting
away.

 But the scripture says, "He that puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit
for the
kingdom of God."

 That word "fit" means that you are not ready to be used. You are not well adapted to
kingdom
living.

 Basically, it's saying that if you put your hand to the plow and you begin to move out and
then
look back, you are not well adapted. You are not ready to be used.

 The Spirit of the Lords wants to bring us to that place where we are ready and there
is no
looking back.

3. It's very possible to receive salvation and enter into the Kingdom while still living very
loose,
ineffective lives or playing around with spiritual things and bargaining with God.
  That's dangerous anytime! But when God has begun to reveal to you the mystery
of the
Kingdom of God and then you turn back, it's truly grave.
 In my own life, God said, "I have shown you too much. You cannot turn back. You've
already
crossed over.

'\ .14. There are different depths within our spiritual walk. There are mysteries that God reveals to us.
The
V more that you have tasted of the goodness of God the more dangerous it is that you would look
back.

• We're expected to walk in the light that we have.

 We may do a lot of floundering around when we don't have much light, but when we have
great
revelation and light we are accountable to God to walk in it.

• When we don't walk in it, there's great chastisement and we disappoint God.

• To whom much is given much is required.

v's. How we perceive the Kingdom of God today will determine how we live today but it also
will
determine how we spend eternity.

• When you are confronted with the Kingdom, you are going to be required to make a
decision.

• The Kingdom demands a decision on our part.

 I pray that each one of you have made a decision, because God is asking you, "Are you
going to
live a weak, lukewarm, and mediocre life? Are you going to be a pew warmer? Are you
going to
flow with nominal Christianity? Are you going to flow with the status quo? Are you going
to the
take my Word literally and live the life I live?

 I want you to really think about that. Sometimes, we say, "Yes, God I will." But when He
begins
to reveal to us what that commitment means, we want to backtrack.

Matthew 16:13-19
 Jesus asked Peter, "Who do people say I am?" Then He asked, "Who do you say I am?" Peter said,
"You
are the Son of the living God."

 The Lord said Peter was blessed because that was not revealed to him by man but by His
Father
in heaven.

• Flesh and blood did not reveal that to Peter. That was divine revelation - 100% Spirit.

 This is the only way truth can be perceived or received by us - through divine
revelation. We
cannot understand the truth of God without a revelation ofthe Spirit.
 Every new revelation, or every new step that you take, is going to be challenged. You have to

learn to walk in that revelation.

1. That's exactly what we see happening in Peter's life. Here is he the first one to receive this
tremendous revelation. The Lord is giving him instructions about the cost. There's high price in following
after the Lord Jesus Christ, there's a cross for us - if we're not just following him for the loaves and
fishes.

2. The Lord is speaking to him about the price because His will was to do the will of the Father. That's
what He came for.

 He never did anything on His own. He only did that which He saw the Father doing or that which

the Father told Him to do.

 He never acted independently in any way.

3. He shares with Peter. This is what is going to happen to me; I am going to be killed. I am going to be

crucified.

• He was giving Peter an idea of what the cup was that He was going to have to drink.

• Peter says, "Never, Lord! This is never going to happen to You!"

 Tremendous things were happenings. Things were looking up for Peter. They were looking
up
for the other disciples, too. They were excited because the Messiah had come.
  They thought He was going to set up a Kingdom right then and there. Israel was going to
rule
and reign over all the other nations.

 They assumed that because they were really close to Jesus they were going to rule and reign
with Him in this political or national kingdom.

 We have a tendency to do the same thing. The Spirit reveals some spiritual truth and we get
puffed up with the knowledge. God's using us and we feel like we're on the mountaintop. We
just want it all easy. Fast & simple. We don't want to walk the way He walked.

4. But listen to what He tells Peter, "Out of my sight Satan; you are a stumbling block to me. You do not
have in mind the things of God but the things of men."

 There's vast difference between the things of God and the things of men. His ways are not our
ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. They are higher.

 We look at everything through the perspective of what is gratifying to the flesh - what is going
to satisfy us or benefit us, what is going to give us success or cause us to be applauded by men,
what is going to give us security so we can enjoy this life.

•
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hard times or the good times, whether it's the blessings or the suffering.

It just means that you are seeking everything that He has for your personal individual life above
everything else.

It's such a subtle thing that even when we think we are following after the Lord with a whole
heart, there's still that constant pull of the flesh. But, what about me? But God I need this, or I
need that.

5. It's very difficult for us to follow His example, but He explains to Peter that suffering is a very
important part ofthis walk.

• It's why He tells us to enter into the fellowship of His suffering.

• If we're going to reign with Him, then we're going to have to suffer with Him.

• If we're going to live with Him, then we're going to have to die with Him.

 We have a tendency to just want to rule and reign with Him, but we don't want to suffer. We
want to live with Him, but we don't want to go the way He went.

6. There's only one way that we can go and that's by way of the cross - and through the blood.
 • Of course, Satan works in our lives to appeal to the lusts of the flesh.

 Things that we may even consider to be very legitimate needs can serve as his tools. He wants

us to meet those legitimate needs apart from God's plan.

 It becomes in our time, in our ways, and methods. It's how we perceive it in our carnal minds.
It's so hard for us.

7. When Jesus speaks to Peter and says, "Out of my sight, Satan," there's a double reference. He's
speaking to Satan who is speaking to Peter.

• Satan was giving Peter his evil suggestions and catering to the lust of the flesh.

 I believe what's happening here is that Peter is looking at the position he is going to have with

Christ, but he sees it as a territorial rule, and also the position the nation of Israel is going to
have.

 The last thing he wants is for Jesus to go and be killed and destroy everything that they have

worked so hard to get. They have looked forward to this time for so long.

8. This is a lesson that is so hard for us to receive, but all life comes out of death. That cannot be denied.

 When we look in any other direction, He says, "You do not have in mind the things of God. You
have in mind the things of men." That is totally contrary to God's ways.

•
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hard times or the good times, whether it's the blessings or the suffering.

It just means that you are seeking everything that He has for your personal individual life above
everything else.

It's such a subtle thing that even when we think we are following after the Lord with a whole
heart, there's still that constant pull of the flesh. But, what about me? But God I need this, or I
need that.

5. It's very difficult for us to follow His example, but He explains to Peter that suffering is a very
important part ofthis walk.

• It's why He tells us to enter into the fellowship of His suffering.

• If we're going to reign with Him, then we're going to have to suffer with Him.

• If we're going to live with Him, then we're going to have to die with Him.

 We have a tendency to just want to rule and reign with Him, but we don't want to suffer. We
want to live with Him, but we don't want to go the way He went.

6. There's only one way that we can go and that's by way of the cross - and through the blood.
 • Of course, Satan works in our lives to appeal to the lusts of the flesh.

 Things that we may even consider to be very legitimate needs can serve as his tools. He wants

us to meet those legitimate needs apart from God's plan.

 It becomes in our time, in our ways, and methods. It's how we perceive it in our carnal minds.
It's so hard for us.

7. When Jesus speaks to Peter and says, "Out of my sight, Satan," there's a double reference. He's
speaking to Satan who is speaking to Peter.

• Satan was giving Peter his evil suggestions and catering to the lust of the flesh.

 I believe what's happening here is that Peter is looking at the position he is going to have with

Christ, but he sees it as a territorial rule, and also the position the nation of Israel is going to
have.

 The last thing he wants is for Jesus to go and be killed and destroy everything that they have

worked so hard to get. They have looked forward to this time for so long.

8. This is a lesson that is so hard for us to receive, but all life comes out of death. That cannot be denied.

 When we look in any other direction, He says, "You do not have in mind the things of God. You
have in mind the things of men." That is totally contrary to God's ways.
 Jesus says, "If anyone comes after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."
That's the Calvary road that leads to death. But the exciting part is that after death comes

resurrection life.

9. Too often in the church we have experienced the truly abundant life that Christ has for us, because
we aren't willing to die. We want to hold on to our rags and filthy righteousness.

• The things of men will not benefit us. Those are the things that moths and rust corrupt.

 And yet, because of our worldview and the standards of our culture, we still believe that there's
something to all of that. It's doesn't matter that He says there isn't any value, we believe there
is.

10. We are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness then all the other things will be given
to us.
 •

•
This is speaking of the character of a Christian who is totally committed to the Lord.

It doesn't mean that you seek first the Kingdom of God SO THAT all the other things will be given
to you.

What it means is that when you seek first the Kingdom of God, it's the same as praying, "Your
kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."

It means that you are totally seeking everything that He intends for you - whether it's in the
hard times or the good times, whether it's the blessings or the suffering.

It just means that you are seeking everything that He has for your personal individual life above
everything else.